Monday, May 10, 2010

One Day At ATime

Not too long ago, I posted a blog on my embarrassing history with sugar. (If you haven't read it, feel a compulsion to do so and have the time, click here.) Today, I embark on a journey that will last the rest of my life. I am giving up sugar.
Now, I realize that fruits are something I should have in my diet. They will not disappear from my plate. "But," you say, "fruit is loaded with sugars!" Yes, but those are the sorts of sugar I can have. Let me be more specific. I am giving up refined sugars and, for the most part, carbs. The good carbs, just like the natural sugars, I can keep.
Let me break this down for you. Fruits with a low Glycemic Index, such as bananas, kiwi, grapes, cherries, etc. will be kept on for nutritional value as well as "desserts." However, they will not be abused as desserts. For instance, I am now able to eat a serving of oatmeal for breakfast every morning without adding sugar and milk. (This has been a change within the past week. I went from originally adding about three or four tablespoons of sugar and about a 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup 2% milk, down to vanilla or honey Chobani yogurt to nothing. And, you know, with that middle step, I am able to appreciate the subtle flavors and texture of oatmeal that I couldn't before.) This morning, I added a banana to my plain oatmeal. What a treat! I feel that I could do that once in a while, but not feel as if I need it every time.
Whole grains (oatmeal, barley, brown rice, etc.) and legumes will be my carbs. No more bread, pasta, white rice. Also, I found a mixed bag of frozen veggies at the market labeled "Ranchero Mix." This will be mixed with my grains for lunch and dinner meals. It contains broccoli (which I can no longer eat raw due to my hypothyroid condition), red kidney beans, garbanzo beans, red peppers and green beans! Loads of good things to liven up the old brown rice! I've found, too, that adding some lemon juice and a touch of salt and pepper to the mix makes it a tasty and filling meal.
Yea! for being healthy!
Other items that I eat regularly that I will never eat again: cheese...this means the feta that I have been regularly adding to my lunch salad for the past month..., chocolate, coffee, wine (the only alcohol I've ever consumed, so I don't need to list any others, as I never intended to try them, anyway), Pocky(*U_U*)...the list goes on and on.
This all began today. I'm not looking forward to the withdrawals (who would?), but I am looking forward to being free of this chemical reaction in my mind and body. Who wants to be a slave to something so minute you can barely see one piece of it with the naked eye? I gave up meat thirteen years ago; I can certainly give up sugar!
It's just going to be a bit more difficult.
Other foods I must give up because of my thyroid are either because they are deemed goitrogenic, or because they simply interfere with my synthroid medication.

Goitrogenic foods: cabbage, broccoli, turnips, rutabaga, mustard greens, kale, spinach, Brussels sprouts, peaches, pears, strawberries, radishes, cauliflower, millet, African cassava, potatoes and corn. I have the option of eating these, but not in large quantities, and they must be cooked. I just can't do cooked spinach, so I suppose quinoa will have to take over for nutrition's sake.

6 comments:

  1. Best of luck... Truly... Best wishes and best of luck.

    And gentle hugs...

    Sure I wish I could join you. Just as surely, I know I can't go sugar-cold-turkey. But! Since finding myself glucose intolerant, I've gone glucose-cold-turkey. :-) Hmmmmmm, never say what I can't do, hu?

    Hugs...

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  2. Btw, I popped in here, when your post showed up on my Google Reader thing. Guess it grabs the last post of every blog one ever had listed or something. Anyway, this was one of those Synchrinosity Moments. I pay attention to them.

    And I bookmarked the site you gave, on giving up sugar addiction.

    Hmmmmmmmm, I should be wondering about all the possible deep meanings of this Synchrinosity Moment. Won't wonder. I'll just relax and go with it.

    :-)

    Gentle hugs...

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  3. Haha! Thanks Aunt Amelia! *^_^* Sorry to learn of your glucose intolerance. Good for you, though kicking it out the door! I'm glad you found some of the info useful and I hope the universe in its grand synchronic rhythm is kind to you!
    Keep on keepin' on! *~_^*

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  4. I'm greatly reducing, although not eliminating, my sugar intake as well! keep us posted on the ups and downs of it all.

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  5. I've also greatly reduced the amount of sugar in my life. I've taken back my health and my body by really changing the way I eat. I've actually tried to cut out most "lab food" from my diet and am attempting to eat only organic and free range.

    I can never join you as a veggie though. I've tried in the past, but I became very ill despite taking/eating supplements and act the request of my physician, I had to return to meat.

    Good luck and I hope more people join in!

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  6. Curtis~Thumbs up to you! Reducing intake is a big step, even if you aren't addicted. Doing that is not only healthy, but will stave off any possibilities of becoming addicted. I'll bet your fiancee' is thrilled to have a man as dedicated to being healthy as she!
    Willow~Yeah! These are *our* bodies and we're taking them back! Good for you! In addition, eating organically and humanely will certainly feel amazing, if it hasn't already begun! Being a Vegetarian for as long as I have, I've come to the realization that some people just aren't built to give up the Omnivorous lifestyle. We all roll in our own ways. The fact that you choose to do so *humanely* is what really counts, I think.

    Keep up the great work, guys! It's hard now, but as long as we all have each other for support, we can tackle anything! I will keep everyone up to date on the side effects (short term, long term, good and bad) as I experience them. *^_^* Thank you all for reading and supporting me!

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